Revived negotiations in the NHL lockout have led to the players' union presenting owners with a revised CBA proposal — and about 5:15 p.m. ET Wednesday, the league returned to the meeting room to discuss it further.

Legitimate progress was made Tuesday night at a meeting that commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive directors Donald Fehr did not attend.

Coaches had begun contacting players, Nick Kypreos of Canada's Sportnet said Wednesday, telling them to prepare for a season. Hours later, John Shannon, a Sportnet colleague, reported that a coach said the league warned him and his peers to cease and desist.

More details of both the players' proposal and the league's response were expected, but the league, according to multiple reports, discussed a 10-year CBA after previously offering five- and six-year deals.

The sides exchanged proposals during a series of meetings Wednesday that continued until 1 a.m. ET, according to sources, in a bid to close the final gap in negotiations that have spanned more than five months. Talks were expected to resume on Thursday.

Then, there's Alex Ovechkin.

The Washington Capitals star, playing for CSKA Moscow of the KHL, told sportbox.ru (via Slava Malamud) that "there is no progress with the lockout," despite various sourced reports from the players present and otherwise to the contrary.

Ovechkin spent the vast majority of the 81-day-and-counting work stoppage in Russia — at least physically away from negotiations — and has said he'd stay in Russia if salaries were significantly slashed.